


Brother Beast

by ErinBocca



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Bonding, Loki (13 yrs old), Magic Gone Wrong, Odin B+ Parenting, Odin tries, Pre-Thor (2011), Still cares about Loki lots though, Thor (15 years old), Thor tries to fix problems, Young Thor and Loki!, Younger Thor is arrogant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-08 15:54:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12867945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinBocca/pseuds/ErinBocca
Summary: Young Thor and Loki have always had their sibling rivalries, but when Thor sabotages a spell and it backfires, Thor must do everything he can to fix his brother before anyone finds out.





	1. Rivalries

“It was only a prank!” Loki defended loudly, arms crossed and green eyes locked onto his father's. He didn't know why this had become such a big deal, or why Thor and his friends had to come and tattle on him after it was they that had started it.  
“You turned your brother, his friends, and your fighting instructor into animals, Loki, and then somehow convinced the cooks their slaughter stock had escaped into the sparring yard! You could have gotten them killed!”  
“I wouldn't have let it get that far! I only wanted to give them a good scare.” Loki raised his hands in exasperation. “It's not my fault that the cooks are gullible enough to think their boars had blond fur.”  
“Their lack of judgment hardly exonerates you from your actions! What were you thinking??”  
“I don't know-” Loki exaggerated a shrug. “Maybe that they would be silent for once since your and mother's advice of just ignoring them only made their mocking worse. Even Master Bjorn was laughing when I missed the targets.” Unlike Thor, who's axe head had found the bulls-eye every single time, Loki could barely hurl the weapon halfway across the courtyard.  
Loki glowered and once again crossed his arms. “I'm so sick of being compared to everyone else and being the only one in trouble when I do anything but simply endure it!”  
“So you turn to dangerous childish pranks because you're falling behind and Thor thought to poke fun at you? You were only being teased, Loki, not attacked. That's what children do. I'm not saying what Thor was doing was right, but your 'punishment' to his pestering far outweighed his actions.”  
Loki's eyes widened in anger. “How can you take his side on this? He could get away with MURDER and you'd still blame ME! And-!” He raised a finger to his father, “I'm NOT falling behind! You KNOW that Thor is stronger than I am, but apparently he sets the bar for progress. How am I supposed to keep up with that?”  
“You of all people should know that the harder you work the better you become. You don't put nearly as much effort into combat training as you do sticking your head between your books! Perhaps if you spent more time in the training rooms and less time trying to think of ways to get back at your brother you wouldn't be teased so much.”  
“So it's MY fault Thor acts like an ass? And You think I don't /practice/ enough?? I train harder than that idiot Every single day, yet it's ME who gets singled out for not doing enough!”  
Odin leaned back in his chair, looking weary but still just as angry. He rubbed the space between his eyes while his other hand tapped in frustration against the ornate chair arm.  
“Regardless of your misplaced reasoning, you still broke several rules and endangered six lives today. This isn't the first time your foolery has put people in harm's way. If you continue this path of recklessness I will have little choice than to send you away to Nidavellir. Perhaps time indentured to the Dwarves will change your stubborn and petty attitude.”  
“Are- you kidding?” Loki stared at him in shock. “You would send me to work with the Dwarves over this??”  
“Your little pranks have been getting more and more dangerous.” Odin stated with an unchanging expression. “How long do you think it will be before you actually hurt someone? Hurt your brother?”  
“So instead you'll just have me worked to exhaustion creating trinkets, hammering away at molten metal to make weapons, or mine their stinking ore?” Loki never had the intention of hurting Thor, and while he realized that his father was right, he couldn't manage to swallow his pride enough to even begin to admit that.  
He had been wronged, and had retaliated. Thor would have done the same had he the brains to pull off a decent enough prank. But he knew Odin would never take his side, not when it came to his precious first-born.  
“It would do you good to learn to not take things personally, Loki. How do you think Thor ignores your sharp tongue?”  
“It's always about him, isn't it,” Loki sneered. “Just train like your brother, eat like your brother, pretend life is perfect like your brother. Perhaps I should just stop all my studies and become more like Thor entirely, is that what you want?”  
“It would be a good start.” Odin stated angrily, and without hesitation.  
Loki had meant it sarcastically, but his father's response left him dumbfounded. So, that's what he wanted? He wanted another blond haired muscle-bound idiot son?  
Was Loki simply not enough?  
Of course he wasn't. What son of Odin struggled with simple combat exercises? His proud lineage couldn't be tarnished by a sorcerer's tricks.  
“I see.” Loki said quietly, and for the first time since he's been escorted to his father's chambers, Loki looked away.  
“Loki... son” Odin sighed, seeing the thoughts written on Loki's expression. “I mean this for your own good. You too often let other's words get under your skin, and your reactions have become more volatile over the past few years.”  
Loki looked back up to Odin, face blank of emotion. Something Loki had made a habit of doing when his emotions rose too high for his comfort.  
“I understand, Father.” He said flatly, earning another low sigh of frustration from Odin. “It won't happen again.” The Allfather knew his son was only saying this to end the conversation, but at this point there was little else to add. Either Loki would restrain himself, or he wouldn't. It was all up to him now.  
Odin waved a hand; a silent gesture bidding permission for Loki to leave. “See that it doesn't Loki. You'll be helping scrub dishes in the kitchens for the next five days for today's stunt. It’s your final warning.”  
With that, Loki made the slightest of bows before turning heel and making his way out the large golden doors of Odin's room without another word.

Thor had been leaning against his father's closed doors as he eavesdropped on the argument that unfolded in the chamber. He had been too angry to not want to hear Loki's punishment firsthand and had snuck off in order to be the first to rub it in his little brother’s face.  
“Serves you right,” Thor muttered under his breath, though he wished it had been a bit harsher than dish washing. He had been turned into a damned pig after all, and his brother had practically fallen over laughing when the cooks came out with ropes and a butcher knife. There was no way to make fearful pig squeals sound remotely dignifying.  
When Thor heard his brother's soft footsteps approaching, he pushed himself off the door and leaned against the stone wall with crossed arms and a smug face.  
Loki barely spared him a glance and simply moved to walk passed him, but Thor wasn't about to let him get off that easy. “Seems that you've slipped /real/ punishment.. again.” He commented lightly as he followed Loki. Heat was building up in the younger's chest; an anger that still hadn't been dowsed and Thor was quickly fanning the flames. He didn't want to hear him, he didn't want to see him, he wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. He wanted only solitude.  
“Shut up Thor and stop following me, I want to be alone.”  
“Maybe you should go to Nidavellir,” That earned the side glare Thor had been looking for and he smiled. “Yeah,” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Maybe working for the Dwarves you'll actually get strong like me. You know, since father practically admitted he likes me better.” He laughed and Loki stopped short, and something fiery in Loki's expression made Thor stop too and his smile falter.  
“You're just like everyone else Thor. You think you're something special? The great Son of Odin? It's only a title. Words. You are nothing without it. Anyone can hit hard with enough practice but you have no other skill, no idea how the real world works because you're too Stupid to see it doesn't actually revolve around You.” Loki's voice dripped with venomous intent and he shoved a thin pale finger into Thor's chest, “And I'll prove it. I'll prove to everyone just how pathetic you really are under all that charm and strength and how easily you can be replaced.”  
Thor had never heard Loki spout that many insults at him at once. A quick witted response here and there and the occasional jest that hit below the belt, but nothing like this. He was both shocked and infuriated by his little brother's words, but what Thor had intended to be an equally eloquent retort came out as  
“You'll never be as good as me Loki. Just accept that.”  
There was a brief moment a stillness, electrified by that comment. Loki's expression was an odd mix of hurt and fury, and from the corner of his eye he saw Loki's fist curling.  
At once Loki lunged and Thor moved to dodge it. But Thor had expected a punch, not for Loki to snatch a fistful of his hair, ripping the older down to his eye level.  
“I will make you regret ever saying that.” He hissed through clenched teeth, and snatched his hand away ripping a few strands along with it and making Thor wince.  
They stared each other down for a few long seconds before Loki turned back towards the path and left Thor behind.

He would make them all eat their words, Loki vowed to himself. He would prove himself worthy of being an Odinson even if it killed him. He twisted the three long blond strands of Thor's hair into a knot and placed it safe in his pocket as he made a straight line for the palace's library.


	2. Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the library reveals an opportunity at revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and commenting and leaving Kudos on my work! Its so amazingly encouraging and I love each and every one of you who takes the time to read my stories!

Thor wiped the sweat from his brow, still sour even after his punishment was finally at an end. His father had pulled him aside after Loki had stormed off and proceeded to lecture him about bullying his little brother. He didn't seem to care that Thor had only been joking and that Loki was just simply too sensitive. 'He's still trying to find his place, and you provoking him constantly does nothing but push him away.' His father had said. Why did he have to get in trouble for Loki acting like a whiny child?  
As the first born, Thor was heir to the Golden Throne, and as such his father told him that he would have to learn to be aware of other's feelings and mindsets. He reminded Thor that Loki had a hard time making friends as it was, and that they had once been so close when they were younger.  
Thor had felt a twinge of guilt at that. After he had befriended Sif and The Warriors Three, he paid little mind to his brother, even finding him annoying when the dark haired boy wanted to simply be included in his adventures.  
Maybe.. he had been a bit too harsh on Loki.  
He had determined he would find him and apologize in person to him after his talk with their father.  
That was, of course, until Odin had decreed Thor's punishment. He would be made to tend the royal stables every night for a week, caring for the animals, cleaning up after them, and anything else the stable hands needed of him.  
By the end of the seventh day, he was still just as angry at Loki as he was the first. He smelled of hay and manure, and his hands were sore from handling a pitchfork rather than a sword. How had he managed to get a worse punishment than that skinny little trickster?  
“We should get him back,” Fandral grumbled and dusted the last of the hay from his shoulders. Although Thor's friends had not technically been a part of the punishment, Frigga had later made it more than clear they should 'assist' Thor for their part in teasing her youngest son.  
“I'm not going to risk getting another ridiculous punishment for that little brat.” Thor pulled his hair from the short knot he'd had it tied in while they worked and filled one of the communal drinking horns with some water. “I've barely seen him these past few days and it's better if it stays like that.”  
“So you aren't aching for even a little bit of revenge?” Sif joined him by the water barrel and splashed some on her face before wiping it off with an unused rag.  
“Of course I am,” Thor huffed and offered the horn to Volstagg who took it and swiftly drained the rest of its contents.  
“I'm sure we could think of something to get back at him without the risk of your parents finding out.”  
“Oh yes!” Fandral smiled widely. “Like, something embarrassing maybe? Something he wouldn't be able to live down.. and somehow not seem like we are the ones behind it.”  
“Like what?” Sif leaned against a post and crossed her arms. “Loki's slithery enough to know we're up to something so we can't exactly do much.” Fandral tapped his chin in thought.  
“Hmm...We could.. get him drunk maybe? People do stupid things while drunk all the time!”  
“Loki's not old enough to handle hard liquor, and he rarely drinks anything anyway.” Hogun thought to point out. Out of everyone, it was he who looked completely unfazed by the manual labor or the subject of retaliation.  
“We can slip him something strong then,” Fandral suggested. “If he isn't used to drinking at our level then he's bound to be hilariously lightweight. Maybe he will vomit in the middle of the grand hall!”  
Thor rubbed the back of his neck. He was still furious with Loki, but publicly humiliating him that badly didn't feel right. They needed something more subtle, but just as impacting. And right now, Thor didn't have the energy to properly plot.  
“Let's just get to the feasting halls. I just want to eat and then sleep.”  
Reluctantly the others agreed. In reality, all of them knew they wouldn't be able to pull anything off like that, at least not while Odin's eye was closely on them. Slowly they made their way through the stable yard when a loud voice cut through the air.  
“Thor!” It was the weary sound of Maggris, his arcane instructor. Thor turned to him, confused to see him up and out this late at night, let alone looking for the eldest Odinson.  
“Master Maggris,” He greeted, waiting for the hunched elder to make his way towards the group. His evening robes were no different than his usual garb; over sized and dark brown, rimmed with the black fur of some animal. Plain and unassuming considering his mastery of both sorcery and alchemy.  
“I'm glad I caught you. Have you seen your little brother around lately?” Thor couldn't help but roll his eyes.  
“No, I've not been keeping tabs on his whereabouts. He's making a point of avoiding me.”  
“Oh,” Maggris furrowed his brow, but then waved it off. “No matter.. I have the same message for you as well. Tomorrow, you and Loki will begin learning the basics of Evocation magic. Or rather, in your case, honing your natural ability over lightning. You'll need to pick up a few books from the library. I'd have the both of you studying this subject to the very bone as it will be the basis of any further advancement.”  
..Thor could have tossed the old man through a wall with the fit he wanted to throw. This was the last thing he wanted to hear when all he wanted to do was go relax for the night. Now he was going to have to stare at a book for a few hours and attempt to understand any of it without having yet learned any of it. But he bit his tongue and stayed his hand.  
“I'm sure Loki will be thrilled when he finds out.”  
Maggris gave a weary smile and a soft bow. “Good evening, my Lord.” And he turned and shuffled back from the direction he had come. Thor let out a long and angry breath.  
“Come on...Let's just get the books and get this over with.”  
“Can't we go eat first?” Volstagg complained, but still followed.

 

Thor carefully pulled the heavy books from their shelves, having long since learned to be delicate when handling books older than his father was after a few harsh verbal altercations from the Librarian. Thor swore she must have been part troll with that temper. The others had opted to wait around one of the various candle-lit tables, occasionally asking if he wanted any help, which of course he insisted he didn’t.  
He only needed one more book, and thankfully he actually knew where to find it without wandering endlessly around the dusty shelves. He rounded the corner and stopped short.  
Short black hair, white and green tunic, slim shoulders. Loki was browsing the books nearby, seeming to have not yet noticed Thor standing several feet away. The elder pressed himself up against the wall to avoid being caught and watched him.  
What exactly was Loki looking at? The books he was browsing through weren't on evocation, or even magic for that matter. This section was reserved for lore and fiction; stories that their mother had read to them when they were much younger and still slept in the same room.

“Finally, I thought you’d never find them all.” Volstagg groaned and stood up as Thor returned to the table, clearly more ready than anyone else to make it to the roasted lamb and sweet meads. He frowned when Thor shook his head.  
He set the books down and glanced at everyone before looking back over his shoulder where Loki still perused the shelves of children’s books a distance away.  
“Loki’s in here.”  
“So? He’s probably getting that study material too.” Volstagg shrugged.  
“No, Magris said he couldn't find him remember? And he’s.. Looking at kid’s books.”  
“He kinda still is a kid.” But Thor shook his head.  
“He grew out of them even before I did.” He noticed Loki glance up, but not at them. Instead he turned and looked in a far corner before looking back to the shelves, then back to the corner.  
Curious, Thor left the table as Volstagg’s shoulders slumped and the others tentatively followed.  
“Do you think he’s causing more mischief?” Sif came up beside Thor as they tried their best to not look too obvious going the direction Loki kept glancing. Only when his little brother moved further into the section did he nod.  
“What else does he do these days?” they cleared past the usual shelves towards a less lit place of the library, and not too far, Thor stopped suddenly as he spotted a small nest of papers and books stacked high.  
“There,” He gestured, taking one more look to make sure Loki was still distracted before coming closer to investigate.  
The very back corner seemed to be sectioned off by Loki’s things. There were several books piles, some open, others simply stacked to the side, two ink wells served as a paperweight for some blank parchment, and a small blanket seemed to be propped into a makeshift floor cushion. The ill-lighting and thick levels of dust piled on the surrounding books told him that this section was seldom disturbed, and it confirmed his suspicion. This was one of Loki’s various hideaways.  
His brother had taken to finding hard to detect nooks and crannies to work or sometimes simply just be alone.  
Curiosity was getting the better of him. What could Loki be doing with all these different things here?  
He silently motioned for his friends to follow, making sure to disturb as little as possible in the narrow book-laden passage. There was uncharacteristically little organization to the many books and papers and scrolls Loki seemed to have accumulated here.  
He glanced down at the first book while Sif kept her eye on Loki.  
“He's still reading through that kid's book. He's gone through it four times already.” She noted, just as confused by Loki's actions as Thor had been.  
“Just tell me when he looks to be coming back.” He picked up the jewel decorated tomb, noting the title was in Elven. ‘Powers of Thread’. Another book to the side looked half eaten by book mites, reading ‘Phases of the Constellations’. What was Loki up to?  
He moved some scribbled parchment to the side, barely making sense of anything Loki had written. Something about a harvest? Whatever it was, the new moon and Fall Equinox was apparently extremely important.  
Wait… the new moon was tonight, and the Equinox was only a few days away.  
He pulled some other papers up and tried reading them, but they were written in an arcane language far above Thor’s teachings.  
“How did Loki even get a hold of these?” Fandral shook his head and delicately picked up an old scroll, “These are from the restricted section,” He pointed to the wax seal that marked it as such, having been cleanly separated from the parchment.  
“Look-” Thor picked up one of the papers Loki had been writing on. Symbols had been carefully drawn, then crossed out and drawn again, and it looked to be some sort of translation to the scroll Fandral held.  
“Maybe this is a side project for Master Maggris? He does always seem to be in good favor with him, not to mention usually better at it than you.” Fandral furrowed his brow and put the parchment back down, not wanting to risk denting or tearing the ancient writings, then his face brightened. “Actually, this is great!”  
“Shh-” Thor pressed a finger to his lips and nodded his head in Loki’s direction. “He’s better hearing than any of us..”  
Fandral waved him off but lowered his voice anyway. “This is how we can get back at him.” He pointed to the parchment. “Even he isn’t allowed in the restricted sections, let alone allowed to handle ancient arcane literature even for some assignment. If we told your father,-”  
“No,” Thor said immediately, not even thinking about the answer as he lowered the papers back down.  
If they told the Allfather, Loki would certainly be sent to the Dwarves. The idea should have sent Thor running down the halls to tattle. But it didn't.  
Deep down, he knew he didn't actually want his brother to leave him. To be sent off to some far off place for who knows how long.. no matter how much he wanted to wipe his smug smirk off his face at times.  
“We can't tell my father.” He restated firmly.  
“Then..Maybe we should tear it up.” Hogun suggested, and at the other’s surprised looks he clarified “His copy. Not the original.”  
“No., no that's too obvious it was us and he’d get me in trouble along with him. We..- we should change it.” The idea hit Thor like a wave of inspiration. This magic was far above their level, no matter how good Loki thought himself to be. If Thor changed the symbols on the copy ever so slightly, it would alter the whole spell, making the translation completely wrong. Loki would think his translation of the scroll failed. It was perfect. Loki prided himself so much on getting his studies exact, getting every little detail right and making Thor look like a clumsy idiot in comparison, this was the perfect revenge. No one but Loki and Maggris would know of it, and he wouldn’t technically get into trouble, but it felt far more just of a punishment than washing the dishes had been, and not as harsh as being sent off.  
This would teach him. It would humble him.  
“Loki won't have his nose stuck in the air so much if he didn't think he could manage to complete this translation properly. Put all this work into it and for nothing to happen.. Maybe he would realize that he doesn’t need to bury himself in books.”  
“Yeah, it might actually be good for him.” 

Thor collected his books from the table they'd abandoned earlier, pleased with himself and his flawless sabotage. He should thank Maggris truly, since if it weren't for him and his over eagerness to teach the young Princes,Thor would have never wound up at the library to find this golden opportunity.  
With his appetite renewed, Thor rounded the corner towards the librarian and almost slammed into Loki coming the opposite direction.  
“Oh!-Thor-” Loki looked genuinely startled to see him and quickly hid the children's book behind him. “Wha-, what are , why are you-” He stopped and seemed to recompose himself, regaining an expression of bored annoyance. “What are you doing here Thor?” It amazed him just how easily his little brother could do that.  
Loki looked....tired. His hair was disheveled, his tunic wrinkled, and dark circles underlined weary green eyes. How long had be been holing himself up here?  
Loki cleared his throat in inpatients, recapturing the blonde's attention.  
“Oh, uhh.. Master Maggris wanted me to tell you that we're starting Evocation tomorrow, so-,”  
“Yes I know.” Loki interrupted. “He's already told me. Was there anything else?”  
Thor knew he was lying, of course, considering he'd only just spoken to Maggris, but he opted to just play along. He just shrugged and shook his head.  
“Just relaying a message.”  
The more he looked at Loki, the worse he seemed to look. Like he hadn't been eating, as well as neglecting the other basics of self care. At this point Thor was sure that the blanket back in his hiding spot had served as his bed for however many days he'd sequestered himself away here.  
Thor suddenly felt uneasy about what he'd just done to Loki's work. He could see that his little brother was putting far more effort into whatever he was researching than he had ever seen him do before. So much so that he was neglecting himself, and the 'big-brother' instincts were starting to outweigh the sibling rivalry.  
“Do you mind moving out of the way?” Loki again made a point to sound impatient, looking from him to his friends, then back.  
“Actually…” Thor hesitated, debating if he should even ask.”I was wondering if you wanted to join us in the feasting hall?” Thor offered, admittedly a little awkwardly and ignored the looks Sif and the Warriors gave behind his back.  
Loki paused for a moment and seemed to debate his answer.  
“I can't,” This time there wasn't spite in his voice, just reluctant resignation. “I still have some things to do.. I'm sort of on a deadline.” He offered a half smile, and Thor couldn't help but return it.  
“Well..good luck with whatever it is you're working on.” His own sentence lumped a weight of guilt into the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t turn back on it now..  
“Good night Loki,,.”  
“Good night Thor.”


	3. Panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor sees the consequences of his meddling.

Thor didn’t eat as much as his friends had, and didn’t really engage in conversation. As much as he tried to just enjoy that he’d finally pulled the perfect prank on his brother, he couldn’t help but feel the guilt that’d struck him earlier in the library. Maybe Loki took joy in these pranks, but Thor was quickly finding that he didn’t seem to have that same sadistic streak.  
Even thinking about his punishments in the stables and even for turning him into a pig, maybe shattering the only pride Loki had for his work was too far. He imagined Loki’s face when he showed his translation, and was told it was completely wrong. He imagined the sheer disappointment, not in the situation but in himself. Loki took failure more personally than anyone Thor knew…   
Why did he think sabotaging him like this would be worth it?

He snuck away from his friends, taking a small plate with some smoked boar, cheese, some grapes, and a goblet of mild honey mead. It was the least he could offer as an apology to Loki when he told him he’d screwed with his work.   
Half of him figured he might later regret not letting Loki languish just a bit longer, but it just felt too cruel to do to his little brother.

He hesitated before Loki’s doors. They had only recently started sleeping in their own rooms, and though Thor had only seen Loki’s a few times since, he knew it would still look barely lived in. Everything nice and neat, books stacked in order, bed made without a wrinkle.  
He sighed and knocked lightly.  
“Hey,” He started. “I know you might be busy,. But I thought you might be hungry? I brought you something to eat..”   
There wasn’t an answer.   
Oh right-... Loki was probably still in the library. He'd been too buried in his own thoughts to remember, and groaned realizing the library was in the complete opposite wing of the palace.  
But when Thor turned to head in that direction, he heard a sudden crash from somewhere inside the room. It sounded as if a table had been knocked hard to the stone floor, and he could hear some glass objects shatter and some roll in several different directions.  
“Loki? Are you in there?” He knocked again, this time a little louder. “Are you ok?” Another object was sent to the ground and Thor heard a low guttural groan resonating from the other side of the door, scraping, and a low hoarse whimper that sounded like.. Loki?  
Thor’s heart thudded against his chest when he next heard a scream that was no doubt his little brother’s. The plate of food dropped and Thor tried to open the door but found it locked.   
“LOKI!” He yelled through then looked down the hall in a panic. Where the Hel were the guards meant to be stationed here? Why hadn’t Heimdall sounded the alarm??   
Thor couldn’t waste time tracking the missing guards down. He needed to get inside this damned room and help Loki. He took a step back and tried to bust the door down. His shoulder flashed with pain but he tried again anyway when the door still held stable. “Hold on Loki!- I’m coming!” He heard something else- and it sickened him when he realized it sounded like bones breaking. Loki wailed again, the noise strangled and wet.  
“H-help-” The words came out barely audible but surged Thor with renewed adrenaline. He roared and bashed against the door again, and this time the door began to give. A deep fissure formed in the middle and Thor used the new weak spot to his advantage. He stepped back far this time and charged with all his might, sending the door off its hinges and splintering wildly.  
The sight that greeted Thor made him gasp in horror. 

Blood.

Blood was blanketed across the floor, smeared with footprints and hand marks that held little doubt for a struggle.   
“Loki??” He breathed heavily, curling his hands into fists ready to attack whoever had done this. But the room was eerily still, making Thor’s heart pound even harder. No- No that couldn’t mean Loki was- no- he refused to even entertain the idea Loki could be worse than hurt. He walked in further, carefully, quietly, trying as hard as he could to avoid the puddles of blood and tiny chunks of flesh littering the room.  
“Loki talk to me- please say anything,” he tried not to look down. He didn't see signs of Loki anywhere. He feared that someone may have taken the youngest prince. 

Thor froze suddenly. A low rolling growl emminated from behind him, sending a cold chill through his spine.   
He slowly turned. Something was crouched beside Loki’s ruined bed. A humanoid creature with pale flesh and large jutting teeth. Blood dripped from the creature’s mouth onto the tattered garment covering most of its emaciated form, held on by short spines that twisted out of its back. Black clawed hands dragged from under it, raising itself up on all fours from the ground and its large eyes locked onto Thor’s.   
“What the f-”  
The monster lunged at him with surprising speed, taking the eldest off guard as he crashed to the ground with the beast on top of him. It snapped and clawed at him, ripping his clothing and his skin alike. Thor struggled to get his feet under it and when he did he kicked it off of him. It tumbled backwards ungracefully, failing to catch itself as it hit the opposite wall with a solid BAM!! Thor scrambled upwards, his previous panic now melting away into fury. This thing- it must have been what attacked Loki!  
With a snarl, Thor widened his stance and raised his fists.  
“Come on you fucking demon!” He goaded. “Come and get me-”   
The monster did not disappoint. It ran towards Thor again, this time slithering to the side when Thor punched and tried to attack him from behind, clamping its jaws hard on his shoulder.  
Thor reached above his head snatched the thing by its black and yellow hair, ripping it off of him and slamming it over his head and onto the ground. It shuddered a yowl and twisted to try to regain its footing but Thor wouldn't let it. He charged the creature and wrapped an arm around its chest while the other tightened around its neck. Immediately it gasped, eyes widening as it kicked and clawed at Thor's grip. He ignored the pain, falling to the ground in order to wrap his legs onto the flailing beast to keep it from slithering out.   
It gulped harshly, desperately trying to draw in breath and after a few moments that seemed like an eternity, its movements began to weaken. Thor glanced down at the suffocating monster, watching at foam collected at the corners of its mouth and its green eyes become bloodshot.   
The torn clothing it wore.. seemed suddenly familiar. Thor furrowed his brow and looked closer, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. The cloth was green, and white. The markings, it-, it couldn't be right.  
Those were Loki's robes. The ones Thor had just seen his brother wearing not but a few hours before in the library.   
This- this had to be wrong, or at least an illusion? No, it couldn't be. Not even Master Maggris was skilled enough to create an illusion corporal enough to fight. There was no way Loki could have even begun to do it.  
His eyes fell to the blood-soaked ground under them, and Thor could make out a chalk-traced symbol, damaged by both the blood and their scuffle. It was the exact one Loki had repeatedly drawn in his notes till it was perfect. The one Thor had changed.  
This thing- this beast... It was Loki?  
At the exact moment of his realization, Thor felt the creature go limp in his arms. He’d still been choking him and Thor let go immediately.   
Loki -the thing- didn’t move. His eyes were half open, red and glassy and bloody saliva trailed from his mouth onto Thor's tunic. Thor couldn't hear anything but the cold beat of his own heart in his ears. Had he just murdered his brother? He reached to its neck and put a finger down, praying, hoping, begging to feel a pulse.   
For a moment, there was nothing under the chilled skin, then, just the subtlest of flutters. A heartbeat. Weak, but there. Thor let out a held breath, then delicately laid unconscious Loki onto the ground before quickly standing up. This couldn't be real.. He looked up to the broken door, then to the other doorway leading to the bath chambers, half expecting his brother to be standing there and laughing at him. But both were empty.   
He looked back to the monster still lying when Thor had left him. The more he examined, it left little doubt in his mind this it really was the young sorcerer. His skin was the same pale complexion, and the eyes he had watched go bloodshot had been a deep emerald green, just like Loki's.  
No guards had scurried to the sound of the fight or the yells or the screams. In fact, everything had gone eerily quiet once more. This wasn't right-nothing about this was right. Thor looked around, stumbling slightly on the strewn objects and the slick puddles. They had been in the middle of the ritual circle; candles which had once been in precise arrangement were broken, scattered, along with some objects Thor didn't really recognize, but even he felt the subtle thrumming of magic coming from some of them. They had to have been stolen from Master Maggris's personal stashes...  
What had Loki been doing?? Thor had only expected an incantation, some sort of translation of a spell - not- whatever in the nine realms THIS was.  
"Fuck Loki-" Thor ran both his hands through his hair, "What the fuck were you even doing with this stuff??" He demanded from the unconscious creature. What had Loki done to himself? No-, what had Thor done to him?   
He had to go tell mother and father--  
But he stopped that thought immediately. He knew he would get into some deep trouble for having recklessly sabotaged Loki's spell, but that wasn't was concerned him. If Thor told his father what had happened, Loki would be sent away for something Thor had done. He'd be punished for practicing magic far beyond his level, for stealing Maggris's things, for sneaking into the restricted section of the library. There was no way Loki would be able to escape Odin's fury. He couldn't take Loki to the healers because they weren't sworn to secrecy when it came to the Princes. Thor had learned that the hard way when he and Loki had snuck out of the palace one night and tried to take down a young bildsnipe, only to be humiliatingly out challenged. The healers had wasted no time in telling their parents.  
He had to at least try to fix this on his own. He had to try to reverse the ritual and make it so that it was like it never happened. But how?? He knelt down and picked up the parchment Loki had copied. The ink was mostly legible where the blood hadn't soaked it, but no matter which way he turned the piece of paper, Thor couldn't make sense of the arcane writings.   
Damn it all why did Loki have to be farther advanced in this?   
He'd have to take Loki and hide him somewhere until he could figure something out.   
Thor’s bedroom would be a perfect place.. no one would think to look for this brother there after the siblings’ many squabbles. Thor could translate it by tonight and get it reversed by morning and no one would ever know. Yes, he could do that- He had to do it.  
He folded the parchment and shoved it into his pocket then turned back towards Loki. He was still unconscious, but at least his eyes had finally closed all the way.   
"Don't worry brother," Thor said softly as he came over and picked him up. "I'll find a way to fix this."  
For once he was glad that Loki and his bedrooms were close, and he made sure to close Loki's broken door as best he could for now.


	4. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor can't do this on his own, but will his friends agree to help a monster?

After Thor placed Loki in the older's bath chamber and made sure the double lock the doors, Thor took another steadying breath. He couldn't do this alone, and the only ones he could trust right now were his friends. So long as Heimdal remained silent, he told himself they'd be able to figure it out. He looked down at himself before he left his room, realizing suddenly that he was bloody and his clothing was ripped from the attack. He couldn't leave looking like this without attracting attention. He quickly changed out of his clothes and into fresh ones, halfway mopping any evidence left on his hands and face with a rag. 

His friends would either still be in the feasting halls or would have retired to their own rooms for the evening. It was still early evening so Thor opted for the halls first. How was he going to tell them and have them actually believe him? Not to mention, actually help him. They may be Thor's friends, but none of them held the same sentiment for Loki as he did. He could order them to help, but he hoped he could convince them without having to resort to that. And it wouldn't stop them from telling Frigga or Odin. If fact it would probably keep them out of trouble entirely to report it straight away...  
But they wouldn't, Thor reassured himself, not if Thor asked them not to. 

He took one of the back doors to the feasting halls, wanting to avoid as much people as he could and he was relieved to see his friends still sitting around the same table he'd left earlier, laughing and drinking. He quickly went in and shut the door behind him, and as casually as he could he came to sit back with the group.  
They turned to him with large smiles. “Hey Thor! Where'd you run off to? We thought you'd retired to bed already." Volstagg jested and poured another goblet of spirits for the prince. Thor took it gratefully, draining its contents in just a few gulps and earning silence from his friends.  
"Hey,.." Sif put her own drink down. "Are you ok? You look... unsettled." The rest of the group looked him over and agreed readily and Thor wished he had Loki's ability to put on masks.   
"I uhh.. I ." He glanced around their tables. Though most of the patrons had left, many still lingered over dessert and conversation. There were too many ears here. "I need to talk to you guys, outside." He stood up and the others exchanged concerned looks to each other but did not hesitate to get up and follow. Only after the heavy doors closed behind the group did Thor turn back to them while running his hands through his hair.   
"What is it?" Fandral prodded. "You look as though you've started a war."  
"I need your help. With Loki." Thor specified.   
"What did the little shit do now?" Sif sighed and crossed her arms. "Because we can always blackmail him with that library stuff he wasn't supposed to have."  
"No--," Thor raised his hand, "He didn't, I mean.. that spell, the one that we sabotaged? He wasn't just translating it. It was a full blown ritual and he went through with it"  
"Ok?" Volstagg sipped the wine he'd brought with him. "So what? He set a few guards on fire then or something?"  
"He..did something to himself," Thor didn't know how exactly to explain it. "I don't know what the spell was originally meant to do, but something clearly went wrong."  
"Wait what do you mean did something to himself?" Sif's brow furrowed in, if Thor didn't know any better, concern.   
"I don't know," He confessed. "But- there was so much blood and Loki, he's, half transformed into some beast."  
"A beast?" Fandral didn't look convinced in the slightest. "To do that he'd have to have had a great deal of power to begin with, I hardly doubt Loki actually turned himself into something." But at Thor's glare he defended his point. "Look. Even you yourself said he was pretty pissed after that argument with your father right? And that he vowed some sort of revenge on you? Well, " Fandral looked to the others. "Isn't it obvious that this is exactly the kind of thing he'd do for revenge?"  
"He wouldn't go this far. You didn't see the blood, you didn't see /him/."  
"Then why don't you show us?" Hogun suggested.  
"Yeah," Sif agreed. "You might be too close to the situation, but if it is a prank, then surely the four of us would be able to point it out and spoil Loki's fun."  
Thor was silent for a moment, mulling over what they'd said. It had indeed crossed his mind that this was a trick, but that had been before he'd really taken a good look at the beast that had attacked him. They wouldn't believe it any more than he would have until they see for themselves too. He looked back up to his friends whom were all awaiting an answer from him. He gave a short nod.  
"If, and only if, you all vow to keep this a secret."

\--------

Thor led the group into his chambers, closing the door and making sure it was locked behind them. The last thing he needed was for someone else to come in and see.  
"You locked him in the privy?" Fandral couldn't help but giggle, but the rest just rolled their eyes and ignored him, instead waiting on Thor to go before them to unlock the door.   
"He's unconscious, but you'll see exactly what I see; It's Loki, and its real." He sounded more like he was still trying to convince himself as he turned the key and pushed open the heavy door.   
But Loki wasn't on the floor where Thor had left him any more. Or on the floor at all really.   
Loki had broken a window and was actively trying to clamor out of it with very little success.  
"What the fuck??" He heard Sif gasp at the creature but Thor rushed forward and grabbed Loki by the waist to pull him back into the room, earning a shriek of surprise. Loki twisted in Thor's grip but the older was getting the hang of how to keep him from slipping through his fingers and held on tight.   
“I thought you said he was unconscious!”  
“HE WAS!” The others stared at the beast Thor was trying to wrangle to the ground. It was a monster of some sort, of that they could no longer deny, but was this grotesque thing really the young sorcerer?  
"Damn it Loki it's me, it's Thor!" Thor bit the words out as Loki kicked up. It snarled again, dropping his head suddenly and sinking his teeth into Thor's arm. "Argh! LOKI ENOUGH!" He roared. "STOP FIGHTING ME!"  
Suddenly Loki stilled, eyes widening just a bit before unclamping his jaw and he stopped struggling entirely. Thor was so taken off guard by the sudden change that he made sure he hadn't accidentally choked his brother unconscious again, but Loki was still awake, still alert.  
Slowly, Thor loosened his grip. Loki dropped to all fours and did not hesitate to scramble away from him, causing the others to take a step back.  
Loki was breathing hard, eyes jumping from one person to the next until Thor found his voice again.  
“Loki?” Emerald eyes locked onto him. “..Can you understand me?” But the creature made no indication he did, simply staring at him, head cocking slightly to the side. Thor raised a hand and Loki flinched, taking a few paces back until he was against a wall. “Hey,” Thor quickly tried coaxing him. “It’s ok Loki. I’m sorry about earlier, I didn’t know it was you.. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”   
After a few moments of tense silence, Loki growled- no, not growled, more like a chuff and he seemed to relax a little.

“This can’t be real.” Sif was the first of the group to speak up. “Its.. we just saw him.”  
Thor shook his head, keeping eye contact with Loki.  
“I know.” The group had only been in the feasting hall for an hour, which meant Loki probably set everything up in his room before hand and left the library when Thor did.  
“This- this is bullshit!” Fandral exclaimed, causing everyone in the room to look at him. “I mean- right? Maybe he found the thing and set it lose in his bedroom?”  
“Before or after dressing it in his clothes?” Hogun crossed his arms. “Thor is right. Look at his eyes, they’re the same.” Once the connection had been made, it wasn’t as hard to see how this thing could be the distorted younger prince.  
Fandral moved closer but Loki growled lowly in his throat, making the swordsman stop in his tracks.   
“Heyyyy now Loki,” Fandral raised his hands to show he wasn’t armed. “It’s just me ok? Stop growling at me.” But Loki’s reply was to indeed growl at the man again when Fandral tried to step forward once more.  
“Loki come here..” Thor said firmly, and surprisingly in slow, reluctant moves, Loki walked over to Thor’s side, never taking his eyes off Fandral.   
“Well--He clearly understands you to some degree.” Fandral huffed. Then again, Thor was usually the only one Loki ever listened to in the first place. There was a thick silence that followed, no one sure what to do or say next as Loki sat down by Thor’s side.  
“Ok-.” Sif cleared her throat. “Ok, so- how do we fix this? It was a spell, right? Well then couldn’t we ask your mother-”  
“No!” Thor said loudly, cutting her off, “No- no we can’t.” He looked down to his little brother, whom in turn looked up at him. “No this is my fault. If my father finds out he will punish him- more than he deserves. I need to find out how to reverse it without them finding out. I don’t know if its a blessing or an omen that Heimdall hasn’t told them already, but I’m going to do what I can while I still have the ability.” He looked back to his friends, expression pleading. “Will you help me?”  
The four exchanged looks, silent for a long moment that Thor was sure they were going to say no. But Fandral let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of his head.   
“I guess we could scope the library for spell reversals?” Sif nodded in agreement.   
“Thor you go track down Master Maggris, if anyone knows anything about spellwork it would be him. You should just tell him it’s research.”   
Thor nodded, a thankful smile returning to his face as he finally had some hope. 

They could do this-


	5. Oh No...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor gets some information that doesn't all bode well for his little brother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry!! I didn't mean to take such a long break from this story, and I promise it isn't dead and I WILL be finishing it! Sorry this chapter is a little short but more chapters are coming soon.

“Thor?” Master Maggris blinked slowly at the young prince as if he had just been roused from sleep, and Thor gave an apologetic smile. “It’s late, are you alright?”

“Yes sir,” Thor did his best to appear nonchalant, but it was clear by the way Maggris raised his brow that it wasn’t exactly working. “I uh, had some questions, that’s all. From Loki. About tomorrow.”

“Ah, Loki?” The older man glanced around for his star pupil, “Important enough to not wait til tomorrow morning, but not enough to ask himself?”

“Ahh,, Uh, well.. Loki’s sick actually.” Thor quickly lied. “He won’t be able to come to your lesson tomorrow and asked me if I could get your opinion on a few spells about transformation?” Maggris frowned slightly, but he gave a deep sigh and opened the door for Thor to come inside his chambers. 

“I would have imagined he would have questions on evocation.” The older man mused and went to the teapot set up on a small table, lighting the fire underneath. “Transformative spells are rather tricky, so if he is wondering when we will be getting to that, I’m afraid he still has a little ways to go.” He raised a teacup to Thor, but the prince politely declined the offer for tea.

“He said it was just out of curiosity, but it had been nagging at him for a while and he can’t sleep.”

Maggris poured his tea and came to sit down in one of the plush chairs by a table, motioning for Thor to join him. 

“Your brother seems to have quite the insatiable appetite doesn't he? Always digging for deeper meanings and truths, even when the answer is more simple than he realizes.” He chuckled, but gestured for Thor to continue.

-

The two spoke for a while, Thor doing his best the circumvent the conversation to ask the question he actually needed to know, but after twenty minutes of a lecture the blond did NOT intend on receiving, he cut in with the question anyway. 

“Can transformative spells be reversed? Even botched ones?” 

The question took the older man off guard from his train of thought, but he paused a moment to before he answered.

“Well… that depends. Transformations aren’t like, let’s say, your seidr, Thor. Your lightning abilities are very much magic, but once discharged, they end. Transformation magic is meant to be ongoing, continuing for an extended amount of time until it’s goal is reached regardless of reversals. As a general rule, most spells can certainly be undone, but the more powerful a spell, then harder it is, and the more complications can arise. As for a botched transformation, well, those don’t reverse often, mostly because they are fatal.” He chuckled, but Thor paled.

Did that mean Loki going to die?? Or- would that have happened when the spell was first cast? Or worse, was it going to kill him slowly? These were all questions Thor desperately needed answers to, but he had to bite his tongue.

The look didn’t go unnoticed from Maggris, however, and he frowned at Thor’s distraught expression.

“My dear boy, you don’t have to worry about such things. It is precisely why the skill is practiced to the bone with simple transformations. A botched spell is harder to do than many think.” When Thor looked at him confused, the teacher continued. “Most spells performed incorrectly simply do not work. And the same goes for transformations.” Maggris sipped his tea, but saw that the crown prince still looked confused. 

“Your seidr, Thor, is better suited for battle. It is not likely you will need to perfect the art, if you’re specific magic can even cater to the spell. Loki’s on the other hand, would transition perfectly with the ability to transform.” The older man yawned. “But, we can discuss this more tomorrow during our lessons. It’s getting late, and I’m afraid this old man doesn’t have the same level of energy as you these days.”

  
Thor seemed to remember himself, putting on an apologetic smile and standing when Master Maggris did. 

“Thank you sir, I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. It was helpful.” 

“Oh, any time, dear boy. It’s good to see you taking such interest in the arcane arts as you do sparring.” He grinned, and they bid each other a good night.

 

“Oh! Thor, before you go.” Magris went to his desk and fiddled around with a few vials before picking one up and handing it to the boy. “For your brother. It isn’t as potent as the healing wing’s elixirs, but it should help him feel a little better.”

Thor gave him a weak smile, thanking him before leaving quickly.

It felt like Thor could finally breathe outside the room. He was confident Maggris didn’t know what was going on, but he was also sure that he had made himself sound more suspicious than he intended. 

Well- 

It didn’t matter. Thor at least had more information than what he started with. If they could figure out the spell Loki used, it  _ could  _ be reversed. That put a swell of new hope in his chest and he quickly made his way to the library where Sif and the Warriors were deciphering the scroll taken from Loki’s room.

\---

Unfortunately, they had been less fruitful with their information than Thor had. The most they could map out from the books Loki had left in the study nest he’d made seemed to have little to do with each other. The one on transformation had been the most help of course, but none of them could match up any of they symbols Loki had used to the ones written on the pages. Nor did they seem to be a combination of them. 

“Maybe it’s an entirely different spell,” Sif suggested when Thor dumped another book that had nothing useful in it. 

“What then? I mean, I didn’t even change much on the spell, there’s no way I could have accidently made a spell shift intentions.” The crown prince ran his hands through his hair in tired frustration. They were all tired. Thor had no idea how late into the night it was now, but the eerie silence told him most of the palace must be asleep. Volstagg and Fandral had even nearly fallen asleep during the search.

“I don’t know..” Sif dumped her own book. “Without access to the restricted section, I feel like we only have half of the puzzle. I don’t know how the hel Loki managed it, but there’s no way any of us are going to be able to get them.”

Thor lifted the now dry scroll Thor had picked up from Loki’s ritual circle. His fingers traced the unfamiliar symbols, and his eyes unfocused in thought.

Earlier when they had been going through his stuff, he remembered Loki drawing the symbols out repeatedly. Most had been on loose parchments, but… a few had been in a bound journal.

“What if he wrote it down,” Thor looked up at the others. “Like, he wrote down what he was doing in his journal? He wouldn’t be able to keep restricted documents, so it makes sense he would write them down for reference later right?”

That seemed to perk up the group.

“Yeah-! So- if he  **has** a copy of them,, they would be in his room still right?” Fandral stood up from his place leaning against Volstagg, stretching his legs. “It’s the only place we haven’t checked yet, so..” He seemed the most eager out of all of them to leave the dreary and silent library, but he was also right.

Loki’s room was now the last remaining places to look for answers. As the group stood, Hogun gently grabbed Thor’s wrist, talking to him quietly. 

“Thor, if we do not find what we are looking for, then we must tell the king and queen. They may be the only ones able to help.” Thor opened his mouth to protest but Hogun added sternly. “It will not be a matter of punishment any longer. The longer we wait, the less chance we have of reversing it at all.”

Thor understood what Hogun was meaning. If they didn’t hurry, Loki might be stuck like this forever. No looming punishment from their father was worth that risk. So the crown prince nodded his understanding and the two followed the rest out of the library. 

 

“I do have to warn you guys,.. The room is destroyed. The transformation was bloody and the struggle left a lot of things broken, so it is going to be harder to find that book. We have to get in and out before---” Thor’s whispering was cut off by the sudden loud footsteps of marching guards advancing towards the group. A voice bellowed out loudly through the quiet halls and Thor stopped short and turned towards the four armed guards rushing towards them.

“You highness! You must come with us at once!” The head guard stated firmly, putting themselves between him and his friends, surrounding him on all sides. 

“Wait what? What’s going on??”

“The Gatekeeper has been found unconscious and there has been an attack. We are to bring you to the king and queen immediately.” They spoke as they moved, forcing Thor along. He managed to turn to Sif and mouth his brother’s name, and she nodded understanding.


End file.
